Return to Del
Return To Del is a fantasy novel written by Emily Rodda. It is the eighth and final book in the first series of Deltora Quest. Book description "The seven lost gems have been restored to the Belt of Deltora. Now Lief, Barda and Jasmine must find the heir to the kingdom's throne. They know only the true heir can use the Belt's magic to overthrow the evil Shadow Lord. But the heir has been in deepest hiding from birth and only the Belt can reveal the hiding place. Shock follow shock as the Deltora Quest rushed to to its thundering climax and the fury and power of the Shadowlord himself threaten to destroy its three heroes and everything they love." Plot In the days after Lief, Barda and Jasmine freed the Torans from their curse and claim the diamond for the Belt of Deltora, they have been staying in the Valley to rest and decide what to do next. That morning, as Lief reads through a copy of the Belt of Deltora found in the Guardian's library, a mist begins to surround the Valley. Alarmed, Jasmine calls out to Kree, who has been circling the Valley with the other birds, to come down to her. Zeean, the leader of the Torans, reassures her that the mist is not poisonous to animals, and that they are surrounding the Valley with mist to prevent the Shadow Lord from finding out that they are free. The trio show the Torans the Belt, and Zeean mentions that the amethyst was the Torans' gem. Peel says that that must have been why the gem was in the Maze of the Beast; it forced the Ak-Baba to carry it into Toran territory. While Zeean and Peel are examining the Belt, intruders are sensed entering the Valley. On the alert, Lief, Barda and Jasmine draw their weapons, believing that the intruders might be Ols. When it turns out to be Dain and Doom, Zeean and Peel relax, but the trio do not, for they believe the real Doom is just as dangerous as an Ol, and they do not trust him. Upon entering the Valley Doom nearly draws on Fardeep, who he recognises as the Guardian, but is stopped by Lief, who tells him the truth of the matter. Lief, Barda and Jasmine do not take the appearance of Doom and Dain well, and accuse Doom of purposefully concealing his knowledge of the Valley of the Lost from them because of his misplaced bitterness toward King Endon who he believed to be the Guardian. Doom does not deny it, and fully admits that he strived to conceal the fact that he thought Endon was the Guardian, letting others believe that the King is dead, so that the people would never know what their King had become. Lief tells him that he played into the Shadow Lord's hands by doing so, as the Shadow Lord wants the King to be forgotten so that his hold on Deltora is not broken. At this, Doom flinches as if he has received a blow, and rubs his forehead. After hearing that the trio have succeeded in their quest, Doom seems to be bitter, and starts to leave with Dain. But Zeean stops him, and tells the trio that the time for secrecy between friends is past, and that all that resist the Shadow Lord must band together and help each other. Reluctantly, the three companions agree, though they still do not trust Doom. They show Doom and Dain the Belt. Doom expresses that he knew that the companions were on some momentous task and expresses regret that he believed they were working against the cause. Dain simply looks at the Belt with shining eyes and says that he knew the trio had some mighty aim that they were hiding. Doom voices doubt that the Belt can help Deltora, and asks how many gems the Shadow Lord believes they have found. When they admit that they don't know for sure but hope that he thinks they are still to reach Dread Mountain, the Maze of the Beast and the Valley, Doom replies curtly that 'hopes are no basis for planning'. The companions are visibly annoyed at his response, and resolve to give Doom the proof he wants by getting Lief to use the last of the water from the Dreaming Spring to spy on Fallow, the Shadow Lord servant who had imprisoned Lief's father and mother on suspicion of treason and rebellion against the Shadow Lord. During the Dreaming, Lief discovers that the Shadow Lord indeed does not know for sure where they are, but that he now knows exactly who they are, from their appearance to their names and history. This hints that there is a spy among their allies, and as Lief, Barda and Jasmine have no clue who it could be they are even more reluctant to trust anyone, despite having promised Zeean they would. The next morning they attempt to sneak away from the Valley but are seen by Nevets in Steven's caravan, who the companions are surprised to encounter. In their attempts to leave they disturb Nevets in his sleep, who prepares to attack them. Fortunately the three companions are saved by Doom, who directs Nevets attention away from them and assures him that there is no danger. Furious, Doom forces the companions back to the Valley, and Lief, Barda and Jasmine fume at being prevented from leaving at will. However, Doom also tells them that Zeean wishes to discuss something with them, and Lief is curious enough to wonder what she wants to say. Over breakfast, Zeean explains her theory that something more must be done to find the heir and awaken the Belt's power. Dain has the idea that Adin's winning the trust of the seven tribes created part of the Belt's power, and suggests that they bring together representatives from each tribe to renew their pledge of loyalty to Adin's heir. The rest of the group agree to that suggestion and together they determined the names of the seven original tribes and a person that could be contacted to represent each one. As they discuss, Lief is stunned to realise that he, Barda and Jasmine have met representatives from all tribes of Deltora on their travels, most of which helped them in their tasks. The allies quickly organise a plan for the representatives to meet in Withick Mire, a Resistance stronghold close to Del, and for Lief, Barda and Jasmine to travel their secretly in Steven's caravan. Doom suggests that decoys of the trio be placed in the west, to show themselves near the River Tor, so that the Shadow Lord will direct his attention there. Although the three companions protest against it, the plan goes ahead with Peel, Kris and Lauran of Tora acting as decoys. Messages are sent to the Ralads and the Dread Gnomes. From outside the western stronghold, Jinks the acrobat sees a group of ravens flying north, but believes he is dreaming when he sees a flash of gold among them. The birds arrive on Dread Mountain, where they are met by suspicion and alarm by Gla-Thon, who at first believes that they are a sign that the Shadow Lord has realised that they are rebelling against him and has turned his attention toward them. However, she soon sees the golden arrowhead which flashes in the beak of one of the birds, and runs back into the hold shouting that the sign has come. In Queen Bee's orchard, the old lady can be seen talking to her bees, who pass on a message to her. She thanks them, and bids them to fly and pass the message on again. The swarm of bees fly to Raladin, where they present a message to the astonished Manus in the old Ralad symbols: “One person — travel to — friends — quickly. For freedom!” In the tavern he keeps next to his shop, Tom is serving a troop of Grey Guards, who reveal to him that there is to be fighting in the west. Upon hearing the shop bell ring, Tom goes to serve the new customers, who promptly trace the Resistance symbol in the dust of the counter. Casually wiping it away, Tom leans over and tells them the news that he has heard. Hiding in Steven's caravan, travelling along the road connecting Del and Tora, the three companions hear Steven's song, warning them that Grey Guards are near and that a gripper field lies to the right. Puzzled at what this means, the trio finds the caravan door opened by Steven, who tells them that the road ahead is blocked and that Grey Guards are searching all that come by them. He tells them to run quickly across the field and toward the forest to their right, cryptically remarking that 'the stones are hard to see'. He doesn't have time to speak more, as the Grey Guards descend upon him. Lief, Barda and Jasmine, having no clue as to what Steven means by his last remark, begin walking across the field, but soon find themselves sinking, and feel a burning pain. Wrenching himself free, Lief sees his leg covered with blood, and realises with horror that they have mistakenly stumbled into a field of carnivorous plants-- the grippers that Steven sang of. Lief wonders why he is not sinking as Barda still is, and realises that he is standing on one of the stepping stones that line the field-- the stones that Steven had tried to warn them of before he was accosted. He sees that Jasmine is also standing on a stone, but that Barda is not and is still sinking. Lief tells Jasmine of the stones and the two of them strive, with much difficulty, to free Barda (who has all limbs trapped and sinking by now) and drag him onto safe ground. After much trouble, Lief and Jasmine walk with Barda supported between them toward the forest. Before they can get there, however, they hear a commotion and turn to see the Grey Guards facing the gripper field. At first Lief believes that they have been seen, but then realises that the Guards have decided to have some fun with Steven by urging his terrified horse into the gripper field. Amid shouts telling the Guards to stop, blinding yellow light begins to pour like smoke from Steven, and a figure forms before him: Nevets. Nevets begins to attack the Guards savagely while Lief and Jasmine look on in horror. On the ground, Steven sees them watching and roars at them to run and get out of Nevets' sight before he turns on them as well. Once safe under the trees, Lief and Jasmine bandage Barda's wounds but cannot stop stem the bloodflow. As rain begins to fall Lief spies shelter in the form of a stone hut, and leads Jasmine and Barda there. However, as soon as Lief enters he realises that the hut contains more than firewood and safety. In a corner lay three skeletons: that of a man, and a woman holding a babe. At the foot of the man lies a flat tin box. With dread in his heart, Lief opens it to find a letter, and reads it. Horrified, Lief can hardly believe it, but it seems to be true. The heir to Deltora has been dead all along. He is heartbroken that their quest and his parents' suffering has been in vain, as well as what had been planned to happen in Withick Mire. Jasmine, shocked and furious, speaks harshly of Endon, saying that he did not deserve to be King and brought his loss upon himself by not having the courage and strength to depend on himself for once to keep his family alive, as her own parents had done. But her eyes brim with tears, signalling that she is more sad for the woman and babe than she seems. At length Steven comes to the hut, and Lief wordlessly shows him the letter. Steven's face darkens when reading it, and Lief sees his face begin to heave as he screws his eyes shut and pounds at the hut wall, saying, 'No! No!' Lief realises that he is trying to keep his savage brother in check. Finally Steven calms down and guides the trio back to the caravan, with Barda carried easily in his arms like a child. As they reach the caravan, there is no sign of the Guards, and Lief realises that Nevets has disposed of their bodies in the gripper fields. After more hours of travelling, eventually the caravan stops and the companions find themselves in a dumpsite. Angered, Lief turns on Steven, for he longs to get Barda to the stronghold so that he will be well-cared for and able to die in comfort if that is his fate. However, Steven points to a sign saying 'Withick Mire', and Lief realises exactly where they are. A scavenger comes toward them, a black patch covering one of his eyes and a scarf around his mouth and nose, and guides them to a surprisingly comfortable and well-stocked shelter. Once inside, the scavenger reveals himself, and Lief and Jasmine are amazed to find that it is Doom. Doom is well pleased at their astonishment, and explains that since Withick Mire is a smelly dumpsite, no Grey Guards like to venture there so it is the perfect place for a Resistance stronghold. Wasting no time, after Jasmine tells him of Barda's injuries he organises bedding and care for him, and care for Lief and Jasmine's own wounds. Once he sees Endon's crumpled note in Lief's hands, his face darkens but he makes no comment. To Lief and Jasmine's surprise, Glock helps them by giving them a special salve to use which he claims stops the bleeding caused by gripper venom. He smooths some over Lief and Jasmine's wounds, but gets disgruntled when they insist on using it on Barda as well, claiming that he is finished. Not faraway from them, Doom, Zeean, Fardeep and Steven stand together, their faces grave, and Lief realises that they are reading Endon's letter. They move to join the companions, loss of hope evident in their faces and words. Doom begins to revert back to his old bitterness, whereas Zeean seems grief-stricken. They are about ready to abandon the cause when Barda stirs and demands to see what they are looking at. Once Lief reluctantly hands the note to him, he reads it and smiles. To the astonishment of the allies, he declares the letter a forgery. At the group's confusion, Barda explains that though the note is a good forgery, it cannot have been written by Endon himself. Endon would not have written such things as it would not have been in his mind in his final moments. Always, Barda tells the allies, Lief's father Jarred spoke of the guilt Endon felt at having failed his kingdom. Yet the note says no word of that guilt. Additionally, the note has the royal seal on it, and as Endon did not have the seal in his possession when he fled this should not be possible. Hence, the note must be a forgery. Barda admits that his mother, who was a great chatterer and nursemaid to Jarred and Endon, told him that the seal was always kept by Prandine and brought out when messages had to be signed. The group are relieved and amazed, and their hope is restored; their quest can continue. After he has said his bit, Barda slips into sleep again, and his heart beats faintly. In grief, Jasmine reaches out to Lief for comfort, and Lief finds that he is not ashamed to weep. Dain gallantly offers to help them nurse Barda on his sickbed, and Jasmine and Lief receive this with gratitude. Lief notes that Barda will need all the help he can get. That night, and another day pass. Dain, Jasmine and Lief take turns caring for Barda, Dain spending longer and longer hours at Barda's beside in an effort to spare Lief and Jasmine what he can. For a time, Barda seems to grow stronger, but abruptly weakens again. Lief is forced to accept that Barda is dying. However, he can't make himself give up hope of Barda's recovery. Visitors arrive in Withick Mire. Ailsa and Gla-Thon arrive unexpectedly in daylight, birds surrounding them to make Ailsa appear to be an Ak-Baba. Lief is overjoyed to see them, but his joy is overshadowed by Barda's worsening state. A few days later Manus and Nanion of D'Or reach the stronghold, having travelled on a horse loaned from Tom the shopkeeper. Nanion tells Doom that there is fighting expected in the west, and Doom pulls him aside to speak privately to him about it, seeming concerned. Manus is left alone with Lief, Jasmine and the dying Barda. He expresses grief at seeing Barda like this, and is glad that he came when he did. He explains that he had guessed why he was needed, though Jasmine has told him the reason. He says that Lief, Barda and Jasmine have 'worked a miracle'. That evening, the ceremonial pledges of loyalty from the seven tribes representatives begins. One by one, the seven representatives restate their loyalty to Adin's bloodline and the heir to the Belt of Deltora; Zeean sombre, Fardeep humble and emotional, Glock with tears in his eyes, much to Lief's surprise. When it comes Lief's turn, he steps forward and says his part for Barda, his parents and all at home. Then the representatives pledge to renew their ancient vow to unite under the power of the Belt of Deltora and swear loyalty to Adin's heir. After these words the Belt grows warm, so warm that the seven are forced to take their hands away. With clarity, Lief realises that the heir is among them in the room. He looks up and scans the crowd, until he sees Dain, his face shimmering with light, stepping forward. Stunned, Lief realises that this must be what Dain has been hiding all along: he is the heir to Deltora and must keep his true identity a secret until Deltora is free again. Lief wonders how he couldn't have guessed it, for Dain is so obviously an anagram of 'Adin', as 'Rhans is an anagram of 'Sharn'. He had grown up in an isolated farm not far from where they are now, and is quiet, obedient and dutiful like Endon, and dark and delicate like Sharn. Lief picks up the Belt and moves slowly toward Dain. The room is tense, waiting. For a moment, Lief hesitates, taking one last look at the magnificent Belt and its gems. However, in those few seconds, pandemonium erupts. Lief realises too late that there is evil from the pale colours of the ruby and emerald. A great beast bursts through the door, blowing everything into darkness, and throwing the people across the room. Lief hears Dain screaming for him to give him the Belt quickly. However, it is too late; when the commotion dies down, the allies find that a monstrous beast has abducted Dain, with only his bloodstained dagger left in his place. Upon Glock's description of the beast, Lief realises what it is, and, hesitantly, begins to speak. Doom finishes for him, revealing that the monster that has taken Dain is no other than Ichabod, the only remaining living child of the Sorceress Thaegan. Enraged, Glock turns on Manus and Nanion, convinced that they have betrayed them by leading Ichabod to Withick Mire. Sternly Nanion declares their innocence in the matter, and tells Glock to keep his insults to himself. In an effort to prevent dangerous divisions from appearing among the allies, Barda calls on them not to fight, saying that fighting will profit them nothing. As he speaks his voice grows stronger, astonishing the allies who thought he had not long to live. Lief realises that the Belt is helping Barda recover. Ignoring this, Doom strides toward the door, snapping that they must free themselves and go after Dain and Ichabod as soon as possible. All of a sudden, he realises that Steven is also missing, and calls out to him. Steven replies faintly, revealing that the ceiling collapsed on him and Nevets when they attempted to give chase, and that Ichabod was laughing, laughing at Dain, and saying that if Dain was king, it was only right to take him where the king belonged-- to Del. The group dig their way out of the stronghold and set out for Del, with a tearful Ailsa waving them farewell. While camping amid bushes near the roadside, Lief and Jasmine hear Steven's caravan coming toward them, and hear Steven singing to them, telling them to come out and join him. At first the two are wary, but Lief surmises that as Steven is referring to them as 'Twig' and 'Birdie', the false names Barda made up for them in Rithmere, then Steven must not be an Ol, as an Ol would not know of those names. Barda must have given them to him as a sign of trust. As soon as Lief and Jasmine reveal themselves, Steven tells them to get into the caravan, for there has been a change of plans: instead of the entire group of allies entering the city together after dark, Barda and Steven have decided that it is safer to separate from the group and travel into the city before sunset, without telling a single soul about it-- not even Doom. After an hour in the caravan, the group arrive in Del. Lief, Barda and Jasmine farewell Steven, who plans to go to the meeting place outside the city walls, 'to explain, or settle a score.' However, they soon find that the ambush has already occurred-- as they hide in the shadows the horrified companions see Grey Guards appear, dragging Zeean, Glock, Nanion, Manus, Fardeep, and Gla-Thon in chains into the square. Only one person is missing. They also see Dain, tied to a stake piled with kindling. Characters Protagonists *Lief *Barda *Jasmine *Filli *Kree *Fardeep of Rithmere, former owner of the Champion Inn *Peel of Tora *Zeean of Tora *Doom, leader of the Resistance *Dain *Fallow *Steven B and Nevets of the Plains, the travelling peddlers *Gla-Thon *Manus *Glock *Ailsa *Nanion of D'Or *Lief's mother *Lief's father Antagonists *Shadow Lord *Dain *Fallow *Ichabod Trivia References Category:Books Category:Deltora Quest Category:Deltora Quest 1